


Keep Your Head Up

by MayLovelies



Series: The Longer I Run [3]
Category: Tokyo Ghoul
Genre: Action/Adventure, Angst, Family, Friendship, Humor, M/M, Other, Romance, Suspense
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-22
Updated: 2019-03-31
Packaged: 2019-09-24 15:01:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 18,943
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17102801
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MayLovelies/pseuds/MayLovelies
Summary: Hide attempts to live for himself, no matter how much he still loves Kaneki. After leaving Japan without a trace, Hide is well established in his new job and life overseas. Yet he soon discovers that no matter how far he grows in his new life, everything ties back to Tokyo and Kaneki.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So this is the multi-chapter sequel to both Up in the Clouds and Further away. This details Hide's life in depth after he has left Kaneki and starts trying to live on his own. But of course, everything ties back to the source. If you haven't read Up in the Clouds yet, the story that started this series, I certainly would read that because you may be lost. If you read it and need a refresher; Hide left Tokyo after Kaneki's daughter was born--he didn't tell anyone he was leaving. He got a job in Wales and that is where he works.

_Six weeks….it’s been six weeks._

 

Hide reminded himself as he gazed at the calendar hanging on the wall adjacent to his bed. It was sort of a ritual Hide partook in every morning since he’d left Japan. It helped him reaffirm that _this_ was his present and that he was here, that his life was moving in the direction he’d wished for it to.  He’d be lying to himself if he acted like his past didn’t scare him. The people whom he had left behind still had hold on him, he hated to admit.

 

Kaneki still had a place in Hide’s heart and if ever he asked Hide to return to Japan, to leave _everything_ here behind, Hide didn’t know if he could resist.

 

_Six Weeks…Soon it will be seven…_ The words of encouragement sounded feeble but to Hide, they meant a lot. They were all he needed to begin his day.

 

He got out of bed, as he did every morning and slowly made way to the bathroom. He then prepared himself for work and slowly trudged down the empty corridor to the long staircase. He still needed to get used to living in a mansion; with the hundreds of doors and rooms, it was hard not to get lost. Still, Hide would take this over Tokyo any day. As he walked down the steps he could already hear Carlton on the phone.

 

He hung it up when Hide arrived, sending a smile his friend’s direction.

 

“Good morning Hide! Ho was your sleep?

 

Hide joined Carlton at the table, grabbing at a spare piece of toast on a plate. “Great.” Hide partially lied.

 

“The dreams getting to you again?” Carlton pushed concerned.

 

Hide shook his head. “They haven’t gotten to me…more like the fears. Not dreams anymore, just fear I guess.”

 

Carlton took a sip of his tea, nodding slightly. “It will take some time to settle in , after everything you’ve gone through. _But…”_ At the end of the table, Carlton slid a paper toward Hide. “This may be something that ‘interests’ you.”

 

Hide took the paper and gazed at the cover. His eyes widened as he read over the bold print headline.

 

“Another murder?!” He exclaimed. “A family was murdered?”

 

“Yes. A ghoul father and a human mother…the victims had their insides gouged out and then eaten…so there is reason to believe that it’s the same ghoul serial killer.” Carlton shrugged.

“There are still no clues about who this wretched person is…nothing.” Hide folded the paper, sliding it back to Carlton.

 

In his normal Hide fashion went into deep thought. His finger casually tapped the temple of his head. Hide had been keeping up on this case for a while now. He hated to admit that he was slightly disappointed when the strange murders had stopped, but as of that day, that fire had erupted slightly again.

 

“Sounds like the makings of another good novel.” Carlton took another swig of his tea.

 

“You always say that.” Hide joked, still thinking. He slouched in his chair. “I would have loved to have visited that crime scene.”

 

“Well, we missed that one but…I got a call not moments before you came down this morning. There was another murder almost an hour; we’ve been invited to the crime scene to investigate. I told the officer that I’d ask you—”

 

“Yes!” Hide beamed, nearly jumping over the table. “I’d love to visit the crime scene.” He took a deep breath, hoping not to sound too overly excited. Carlton chuckled.

 

“It’s about time they started giving us information. After a while I was just going to walk into one of the crime scenes and take over their  investigation no matter how little information we had. However, given all you did in Tokyo—pretty sure this will be no issue for us.”

 

Hide grinned. “Not a problem at all.”

 

“Great!” Carlton stood. “I hope you don’t mind—I told them we’d be there in an hour…So we should hurry up.”

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

 

Only one person had been murdered this time but the crime scene was no less grotesque.

A man, motionless in the woods, hidden behind some tall lanky trees. Perhaps the first thing Hide noticed when he arrived was the large amount of blood covering the brown leaves, next was the gaping hole in the area his stomach was _supposed_ to be. Like all their victims, this ghoul serial killer had torn the poor man’s organs out and had presumably eaten them. His eyes were wide opened, as if he been awake every second of his torture.

 

Carlton was off talking to some of the investigators and by the sound of their voices,  it was evident that they were in some trouble with him. They’d been withholding information which apparently was unacceptable. Hide however, was far more interested in the gutted cadaver lying abandoned on the autumn ground.

 

“Ghoul or human?” Hide called, interrupting the three men.

 

“Human, but he attacks at random.” One of the investigators responded. “Ghoul, human,

half-ghoul, this killer won't’ discriminate.”

 

Hide stood after leaning over, his eyes drifting back toward Carlton. “Do we know who he is?”

 

“That’d be Mr. Dunne…or…he was Mr. Dunne. Worked as a farmer south of the town; a lovable man. It’s a shame the killer got to him.” Carlton responded, taking Hide’s place as he knelt down by the man. He did a couple of things that reminded Hide that he _was_ a ghoul. He first sniffed around the dead body and then, stuck his finger in some of the blood and licked it. Carlton then stood, his arms crossed as he gazed back toward Hide’s direction. “This is rather odd.” He spoke quietly as the other investigators continued to search the crime scene. “We’ve been told there’s only been one murderer...a man. Well, this is the scent of another...a woman.” Carlton took a strong whiff of the air, his face contorting even more. “I still smell another scent..a male in the distance but he certainly wasn’t the murderer here...”

 

It was then, Hide had some sort of a revelation. He’d read the reports as well and until now, was lead to believe that the murder was a lone male ghoul; however that evidence seemed to be hanging by a thread.

 

“We’re dealing with two murders. A man...and a woman...” Hide announced. “They’re working together. Almost like mimicking one another’s fighting styles; so to fool us that there’s just one of them.”

 

“Precisely!” Carlton beamed. “By their scent I wouldn’t say they’re too old…teenagers maybe. Hide, keep on looking around the crime scene and see if there is anything else you can pick up. If anything else comes to mind then write it down. We’ll stay here for about an hour then we’ll be out of your hair.” Carlton observed the officers. “I believe I’m going to sniff around the perimeter a bit more.”

 

Not much more was found around the crime scene other than a few bank cards and papers scrambled from Mr. McCarthy’s wallet. Hide took a few pictures of the scene around, focusing heavily on some stray strands of hair discarded among the forest floor.  After about an hour, he and Carlton returned back to the manor to observe their findings.

OoOoOoOoOo

“You did well today.” Carlton muttered, reading Hide’s notebook.

 

“I felt like everything I mentioned and wrote down was redundant. You would have found out that there were two murderers eventually; you seemed to be on top of the case.” Hide replied.

 

“Well that’s because I could smell. I was rather confused about my findings until you pointed out that they were trying to trick us.” Carlton grinned. “I also looked at your pictures—you have a good eye because I certainly didn’t notice the strands of hair around the crime scene.”

 

Hide sighed. “II still don’t know what to make of them.”

 

“Well,” Carlton responded, his eyes drifting over the pictures of the loose strands of hair. “This hair certainly does not belong to Mr. Dunne. It’s also long and purple.”

 

Hide, feeling a bit more confident, nodded. “I think Mr. Dunne put up a fight…it seems to me like he yanked out a few locks while he tried to fight to survive. None of the strands of hair were found in his hand though, only around the crime scene.” He tapped his temple again. “Purple hair isn’t extremely common among the elderly in this village, but I’ve seen young kids with wildly colored hair… Maybe in a couple of days we can go looking in the market square, I know that’s where a lot of the teenagers frequent.”

 

Carlton grinned. “You’re on the right track Hide.”

 

Currently, the two sat on the sofa multitasking. While they were deep in the investigation,  Carlton had to watch his reality television shows. In the midst of their discussion, Hide noticed his friend had rolled to his side of the sofa. Carlton casually leaned on Hide, taking the remote and flipping through the channels.

 

“You should be less harsh on yourself. I know it’s going to take time but, give yourself a break.”

 

Hide groaned. “I know...I don’t know.” He chuckled. “Guess I’ve been doubting myself a lot lately.”

 

“Well don’t beat yourself up over little things.” Things grew silent after that, and both stared quietly at the TV images that passed on the screen. Like usual, Carlton fell asleep before Hide,  his snores barely audible above the television sound. Hide was tired, his eyes growing droopy at every moment that passed. He eventually stood, leaving Carlton and the television set alone as he headed to his own room.

 

Hide didn’t get much sleep; he had trouble sleeping.  

 

His mind raced at night and thoughts often kept him up. He thought of Kaneki, of the CCG, of his own personal failures -- or what he deemed failures. He was so far away from everything now; his past and all that had brought him any sort of pain yet, Hide still feared failure.

 

In the midst of his anxiety, his phone rang.

 

He sat up in his bed, somewhat happy for the intrusion. He wasn’t ready to drift away into sleep. However, the phone was slightly concerning to him. Hide took it from his nightstand and gazed at the caller ID. This same number had been calling him for some time now. Maybe once or twice a week; Hide was growing worried. The anonymous caller was as frequent as those unsettling dreams and that undoubtedly made him feel a certain kind of way

 

Hide let the phone ring on, placing it upon his nightstand until it stopped. He rested his head on his pillow and willed himself to sleep, no matter what awaited him in his restless dreams.

 

OoOoOoOoOoO

 

_Eight Weeks..._

 

It had been eight weeks since Hide’s arrival to Wales; the murders seemed to be at a stand still. With the knowledge that Hide and Carlton had a clue on who the murderers were, the culprits had to change their strategy. So Hide suspected.

 

The dreams and the calls however, did not stop. In fact, they grew far more frequent. To be fair, the dreams were just stress, Hide tossing and turning at night and reliving some moments of his time in Tokyo. The calls however--were more frequent and almost, if Hide could describe it, _aggressive._ As if someone was trying to find him through the phone and grab his attention.

 

He wasn’t aware of who it could be. The murders, maybe...yet that was too foolish. Still, Hide wouldn’t know, he never bothered to pick up.

OoOoOoOo

 

That night, Hide found himself walking down a dark alley. Wasn’t the wisest decision but it was a shortcut back to the manor. He’d been out late getting some groceries for the house. On his way back from the store he stopped by a couple of book shops not even realizing how dark it had gotten out.

 

Save for a couple of street lights, the alleyway was dimly lit. Hide normally wasn’t worried as he’d walked down this path various times in the daylight. It was night however, and something felt different.  Perhaps it was the rustling in the dumpsters lined near the buildings that startled him. He tried to trick himself into thinking it was a cat but the noise was far too loud and grew closer. Eyeing the opening of the alley ahead, Hide began to quicken his pace. It was no shock to him that whatever creature was rustling in the dumpster did the same thing, matching his speed.

 

Regardless, Hide swallowed his fear and began to speed walk. His heart nearly thumping out of his chest as the exit of the alley grew closer....closer....

 

_“Nagachika...”_ Said a strained and tired voice, followed by a forceful tug on the back of his collar.

 

Hide could not contain himself. Not after the phone calls, the dreams and just the stress...Hide ran.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for all the support for the first chapter! I hope you enjoy this chapter!

Hide returned to the manor in cold sweat, slamming the door behind him.

Carlton who had been asleep on the couch sprung up at the loud noise. He quickly rushed over realizing how shaken and out of breath Hide was. “Something grabbed me in the alley, and said my name!” Hide managed. “The voice, it wasn’t recognizable—”

“Hide breathe! You’re hyperventilating!” And he was, he hadn’t even realized until Carlton pointed it out. He had after all, run all the way from the alley back to the house; his chest was on fire with how fast his heart was beating.

Carlton helped him to the couch and Hide eventually calmed down, but not enough to tell Carlton all that had happened. He was tired, as all that had occurred that night had zapped away what little energy he had. Carlton was speaking quietly making it easier for Hide to drift into sleep.

Shockingly, for the first night in weeks he slept well. It was as if his nightmare had come to life; Hide no longer had to fear it in his dreams. He didn’t know if that made him feel better or worse.

OoOoOoOoO

“It was a whisper.” Hide repeated. “Whoever it was…they didn’t yell or anything, just a whisper. And it was my last name, not my first name. That’s strange, most people just call me Hide…”

“You don’t suspect it was the murderers, do you?”

“No, they wouldn’t be that bold. They would have just killed me.” Hide sighed. “As odd as this sounds, whoever it was didn’t seem to want to harm me…they just wanted to get my attention. There wasn’t any aggression—”

Hide’s phone buzzed, halting the conversation. Reluctantly, he pulled it from his pocket and looked at the private number. The same as it had usually been. Carlton, noticing the unease in Hide’s eyes, cleared his throat.

“Are you finally going to tell me what’s up with that?”

“Yeah…it’s just…someone’s been calling me over and over again on this private number. I don’t know who it is.”

Carlton frowned. “We could try to change the number or I could buy you a new phone.”

Hide shook his head. “I don’t want to inconvenience you and with what happened last night, I want to see if this is connected.” He continued. “Maybe whoever was in the alley  is behind this. Maybe I have a stalker.”

“From the town?” Carlton pushed.

“No…” Hide thought even harder. No one here, save for Carlton, was aware of his surname. He made sure to hide it and keep it to himself during his move. Only those from Tokyo knew of his last name, Nagachika. “It’s someone from my past. I don’t know who it is exactly, but it’s someone. I want to find out.”

Carlton nearly gasped. “You were so shaken up last night, are you sure you want to pursue this?”

“I want to cut off all loose ends of my past…so yeah. If there’s someone trying to start something with me, I want to end it before anyone else comes.”

Carlton nodded from the other side of the table, his face rested as he understood. “I suppose you want to check the alley first?”

“You know me too well.”

OoOoOoOoOoOo

In the day time, the alley looked a lot less threatening than before.

Carlton sniffed around while Hide looked by the dumpsters and walls. He was slightly shocked when he did in fact notice dents in one of the dumpsters and scratches on the walls. He called Carlton over and the two observed.

“This is around the area where I was grabbed.” Hide pointed.

Carlton thoroughly smelled around before addressing Hide. “There’s certainly been a ghoul here but…more than that, almost a human.”

“Two people.”

“No one.” Carlton corrected. “A ghoul and a person…a half ghoul. Like me.”

A knot grew in Hide’s throat as Carlton continued to investigate.

 _It can’t be Kaneki. Kaneki has a wife and a daughter, why in the world would he be here?_ But who else would it be?

“The smell seems to vanish…whoever it was is gone. Not here anymore.” Carlton frowned. “Are you okay, Hide?”

 _No._ “Yeah!” Hide lied. “I just need to think a little more. Let’s keep looking around.”

OoOoOoOoO

 

They returned to the house a few hours later. Carlton left out to take care of some personal business leaving Hide alone.

He wrote for a while, jotting down some ideas not just for the investigation but for his new novel. Yet after a while, he couldn’t focus on that so he took to cleaning his room. It had been over a month since he moved in and he still hadn’t finished unpacking.

Near his bed, sat a box. After a few weeks of being untouched, it had gathered all types of dust and cobwebs. Lazily, Hide trudged over to it and began to peel of the old tape. Upon opening it, he took a few of his favorite mystery novels. Next came his old notebooks from a couple of years back; his documentation of Kaneki and Aogiri—his infiltration of the CCG. Hide looked over a few of his binders and books, placing them in a separate pile afterwards. He continued to dig for some time, taking out a few more personal items until he pulled out an old photobook.

He opened the dusty cover, his eyes studying the various pictures.

There were those of he and his fathers from years ago, school, and then…there were a few of he and Kaneki over the years. Hide continued to flip and flip until finally, there was a picture of Kaneki from just a few months ago. Kaneki…Touka and her pregnant belly before Ichika was born. All around them there were the other ghouls…Nishiki, Tsukiyama, Hinami…

Hide continued to flip and look all while his chest began to burn. It was a painful mixture of sadness, anxiety and anger.  

Finally, he shut the book and gathered it in his arms along with the notebooks he’d filled up during Kaneki’s absence. Hide nearly tripped downstairs until he arrived to one of the many sitting rooms. As he suspected, Carlton had left the fireplace blazing. Hide didn’t hesitate to throw the photo album into the flames, watching as the whole thing burned.

The pictures of Kaneki and his “family”, a family Hide obviously had no right being a part of, the notes that had proved just how much of Hide’s life was dedicated to Kaneki—all gone. _All_ traces of Kaneki were gone from his life…

 _All save for the scar._ He told himself, as his fingers absently made way to the cloth concealing his face. That was one thing Kaneki took from him that he would never be able to get back…that and his time, his emotions, his love…

In disbelief, Hide found himself nearly collapsing on the couch. Kaneki took _a lot_ from him that he’d never be able to get back. It wasn’t just the scar, it was everything. Hide’s whole life was dedicated to making Kaneki happy and what did he get out of it? _Nothing,_ nothing at all. Even now, Kaneki practically controlled Hide’s thoughts, making it impossible for him to function normally. And what was Kaneki doing? Probably not lamenting over Hide…he was probably happy with his daughter, with Touka and with everyone else. Hide was the last person on his mind as he _always_ was.

If the situation wasn’t so pathetic, Hide would have laughed but now, all he felt like doing was crying.

_Tap…Tap…Tap…_

Despite the glistening in his eyes, a tap on the kitchen window grabbed his attention. Hide at first, tricked himself into believing that he or Carlton had left the sink on, and now the water was just dripping. However, the tap grew louder and more consistent. Wiping his eyes, Hide stood and headed toward the kitchen.

“Hello.” He managed, not expecting any type of response. “Is anyone—”

Hide jumped when that light tap became a knock, and when he looked at the kitchen window there was a hand. A hand pounding on the glass, threatening the break it. Hide stood there paralyzed, his heart thumping faster with every moment. The tears and sadness now replaced with something else; a greater emotion. Yet this time, he didn’t feel fear nor anxiety but, adrenaline.   _“Nagachika!”_ The voice this time was louder, but the same from the alley the other night. Still unrecognizable due to the sheer anger within it but, Hide was not afraid. This time, he turned on his heel to run not away from the suspect, but toward them. Hide nearly tripped running outside and sprang toward the side of the property. The sun had set near hours ago and only the moon led his path that night, but he still ran.

As he cut the corner, he collided with something hard and strong, yet smaller than he was. Hide’s first instinct was to grab whatever blocked his path, as he believed it to be his stalker.

“Hide! It’s me! What the hell are you doing outside?” It was Carlton.

“Someone is trying to get into the house! The same person from the alley, they’re here! On the side of the house!”

Both were on their feet in seconds, rushing toward the side of the house. For the first time, Hide saw Carlton’s Kakugan activated, only in his right eye. He quickly searched around, his nose whiffing every square inch of the wooded area around the house.

“Someone is here. Another half ghoul…he’s unstable, dangerous and—” Carlton was knocked off of his feet as a hooded figure tackled him to the ground. Whoever this was had a visible Kakugan as well and next, came his kagune. Carlton finally managed to throw him off, his own Kagune bursting from his shoulder blades. It was large, like black flames and in an instant, vanished. Hide could not make out the other ghoul for he was cloaked, hunched over and for the most part very well concealed. Yet he lunged toward Carlton, with no strategy or skill to his attack making it extremely easy for Carlton to defend himself and deploy his own assault.

As they fought, jumping in the trees and some times too high for Hide to see, he stood there gathering what he could. It had been months since he’d seen a _real_ ghoul fight let alone a fight between two half ghouls and to be honest, he missed it. Yet, if there was _one_ thing he should have known better, it was not to stand in an active battle ground without any way to defend himself. As heavy debris from an extremely close attack came his way, and a tree trunk smacked him straight across the head.

 _“HIDE!”_ He heard Carlton scream as everything grew quiet.

OoOoOoOoOoO

“You may have been a former investigator but you aren’t invincible.” Carlton chastised. “Just glad you’re alright.”

Hide groaned, realizing he was back in the living room. He sat up, rubbing his bruised head as things started to come back to him. He nearly jumped as he looked toward Carlton’s direction. “Are you okay? Did the ghoul—”

“I sent him running in the woods. If the bloke knows what’s good for him, he won’t come back. Plus he’s very injured, he’ll probably die of his wounds.” Carlton replied pleased with himself. “You’ll be fine, just don’t move to much. You were out for a few hours…the doctor has been by to check on you; left a few minutes ago.”

Hide laughed. “I can’t believe I slept through all of that.”

“Me neither, and oh…I found this in the fire place.” Carlton held the photo album in his hand and casually tossed it toward Hide. “I didn’t look through the album, but it was too big for a dying fire to handle.” Hide sat up, his heart thumping again as he held the singed photo album in his hands. Some of the photos were burned, the others however…weren’t even touched. The most recent ones of Kaneki and his family hadn’t even licked the fire.

“The infamous Kaneki Ken you tell me about.” Carlton said. He sat down near Hide, keeping his distance. “Do you mind if I look with you?”

“Go ahead.” Hide said in all honesty. “I might as well have someone to talk to about this.”

“Then talk.” Carlton nudged him. “I’m all ears.”

Hide sighed. “I thought burning this album would make me feel better but, I just feel worse. Even more now because the fire did nothing. I’m trying my best to purge Kaneki from me and he exists everywhere. I want to forget him but he just won’t leave…it isn’t fair. With all that just happened, a damn ghoul attack, mysterious murders, me living on the other side of the world…I can’t get rid of him. I can’t forget him.”

“Then how about, not forgetting him.” Carlton suggested. “It is, impossible to forget someone we love or loved at a point. Or someone who made a huge impact in our lives.”

“You talk from experience.”

“Well, sort of. With all that happened between Arima and I…well, the funny thing is that I never knew Arima. He was my full brother and I never knew him but I wish I did. When you told me he died, I felt as if I’d lost someone, I’d known forever…I still get sad about it.” Carlton laughed. “I hope that makes sense…all I’m saying is that, you aren’t wrong for still thinking of Kaneki. You can think about him years from now and it will still be normal. We don’t just forget those we love.” He motioned toward Hide’s photo album. “Keep that, you’ll be happy you have it later on. I can put it in the basement for now, but don’t burn it.”

Hide sighed. “You know, I needed to hear that. And I completely understand how you feel…about Arima. I didn’t know him, but I remember how he looked and you look exactly like him. Just shorter. I think he would have liked you.” He leaned over and pulled Carlton into a hug. “But thanks…I needed to hear everything you said, and how about tomorrow, I tell you more about your big brother? All I know.” Hide would omit most of the Sunlit Garden bit of course.

Carlton beamed. “Oh Hide, I’d loved that!” The two spoke a bit more until as usual, Carlton turned on the TV. This time, both fell asleep on the sofa with the TV playing in the background. Hide had expected to fall asleep with a heavy heart but that night, he felt at peace.

OoOoOoOo

The next morning, Hide couldn’t stop himself from observing the side of the house.

It was early in the day and Carlton was still asleep, so Hide was on his own. It was dangerous but Hide had to do this. The destruction from the night was now visible in the sun and extended far into the woods. With it, there was blood…a _lot_ of it. Against his better judgement, Hide followed it after realizing that it formed a trail leading into the forest. Carlton had said that the ghoul was injured; most likely dead so Hide wasn’t to concerned.  For about ten minutes, he followed path trail until it stopped.  His eyes drifted from the forest floor, to a burrow of broken tree trunks and then finally, to an injured creature resting upon them for support.

Hide gasped, biting back a yelp as he met the badly bruised and bloodied body of the ghoul that had been stalking him for a couple of days now. In the sunlight, his figure was completely visible and Hide nearly screamed when he saw just who it was.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope y’all enjoyed. My tumblr is [cloud-chimes](https://cloud-chimes.tumblr.com/) if you’re interested in following! Also, recap—Carlton is Arima’s full brother. Carlton is a sunlit garden child but was taken and rescued as an infant so he remembers nothing of Japan, Arima or the Sunlit garden. I'll go into depth later on.  
> Anyway, until next time! And please tell me what you think and leave kudos.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for all the comments and kudos !!

Hide found himself near out of breath as he approached the manor door.

 

For about an hour, he trudged down the quiet forest path with a heavy ghoul on his back. With every step he took, the poor ghoul’s blood dripped to the ground; his wounds inflicted from Carlton had not yet healed. There was a path of blood in their wake, barely hidden by the trees fallen leaves.

 

The ghoul groaned, signifying to Hide that he was awake.

 

“Hang in there, we’re getting you inside!” Hide coaxed. “All you need is some food and you’ll be alright.”

 

_“Hmmm....”_ The ghoul responded

 

_This is bad._ Hide thought; the ghoul was clearly dying for his wounds were still great. Hide didn’t even know how he’d explain this to Carlton let alone how a doctor would go about fixing this. Still, Hide _had_ to do something. This wasn’t just some random half ghoul chasing him on the street; this ghoul wasn’t trying to hurt him though it seemed like it before hand.

 

This ghoul, no matter how odd it seemed, was Hide’s friend. Sure it had been a while since they’d spoken but Hide still cared for him, and was extremely worried. His behavior, given all he’d been through wasn’t odd or out of the ordinary, and Hide was certain that when they got back to the house he’d be able to explain everything. But for now, Hide just wanted him to stay alive.

 

“Don’t worry,” Hide groaned as they reached one of the large doors of the manor. “You’ll be alright soon, Mr. Seidou.”  

 

He knocked and almost instantly could hear Carlton’s voice from inside.

 

“Coming! Hide I wondered where you were--Good God what is that putrid odor I’m smelling? Did you walk through cow manure on your way back?”

 

_Not quite!_ Hide wanted to respond but Carlton already opened the door. His eyes nearly popped out of their sockets behind his glasses when he saw the roughed up ghoul clinging to Hide’s back. Carlton opened his mouth to shout, but Hide spoke first.

 

“He’s my friend! His name is Seidou and he’s friendly--”

 

“He tried to kill me! How’s he friendly-”

 

“I think we scared him ! I think he wanted to tell me something but he went about it the wrong way. Please Carlton; I know Seidou--if he hurt you he didn’t mean to. I’ll make sure he apologizes.”

 

By now, Seidou was out of it, completely. Carlton, observing him and realizing he wasn’t a threat, beckoned for Hide to bring him inside. “I’m guessing I should phone to doctor.”

 

Hide nodded, resting Seidou on the sofa. “I think that would be great.”

 

OoOoOoOoO

 

Eventually the doctor had come and had asked Seidou to be taken to one of the rooms upstairs. Carlton and Hide remained downstairs in awkward silence, until Carlton cleared his throat.

 

“Say _something.”_ He instructed of Hide. “Anything, like what are you feeling now?”

 

“I don’t know...I guess I hope that this stops at Seidou. I don’t want anyone else from my past finding me you know; Seidou is okay though. He’s kind of like me in a way...alone, I guess. Forgotten by people around him.” Hide shrugged. “I wish I knew what he was doing here.”

 

“Well, when Dr. Braith finishes what she’s doing then maybe you’ll be able to ask him.” Carlton gazed out of the window, and then back at Hide. “I know you’re worried about your friend; those injuries were pretty bad but I wonder, maybe he’s running away from something. You said you’re alike, right?”

 

Hide laughed. “Maybe he is.”

 

“Well, if he is and you’re comfortable with it, he can stay here until he figures out where he’s running to.”

 

It was at that moment; the doctor came downstairs. “He’s awake, and doing much better. There was just a lot of blood loss, but he’s stable.  You two are free to speak to him now.”

 

“Thank you Dr. Braith!” Carlton exclaimed as both he and Hide rose to run upstairs. Hide was the first one by the door, his hand hovering nervously over the doorknob as he wondered what he would say to Seidou. This whole situation was so wild to Hide...he didn’t know how to approach it.

 

Seeing the distress in Hide’s eyes, Carlton placed a comforting hand on his friends’ shoulder. “It’s alright.” He coaxed. “Let’s go in.”   When Hide stepped through the threshold, he was met by Seidou’s smiling face. All the fear and anxiety he felt subsequently vanished as he nearly leapt on Seidou’s bed, pulling him into a hug. Hide hated a lot of people his past, but Seidou was not one of them.

 

“What the hell are you doing here Seidou?”

 

“I was going to ask you the same thing!” Hide responded.

 

“I was looking for you everywhere Hide...you left without a word. Imagine my shock when I found out you were all the way here, in like England!”

 

“Wales.” Carlton coughed, from his spot against the wall. “This is Wales--Hi, I’m Carlton! Sorry to ruin your moment.”

 

“Oh yeah, sorry.” Hide withdrew from Seidou, motioning toward Carlton. “Carlton Milford. He’s my boss but...he’s more my friend.”

 

Seidou stared for a couple of moments; a nervous smile growing on his face. “Were you the one who tried to kill me last night?”

 

“Well only because you tried to kill me...but I guess the two of us can let bygones be bygones. I paid for your doctor’s bill so no need to worry. It’s my way of making up to you.”  

  
Seidou relaxed a bit. “No hard feelings...I guess I can see how I came off as a threat. I was...I wasn’t well. Things in Japan haven’t been great for me Hide--”

 

“What’s happened?” Hide urged. “Please tell me Seidou--why are you here? I mean it’s okay that you’re here, Carlton will let you stay...but you weren’t yourself when you were stalking me..”

 

“Right.” Seidou exhaled gazing at Hide and now Carlton who joined Hide on the foot of the bed. “I’m being hunted by the CCG. Not just because I’m the OWL but...because I’ve been accused of something I didn’t do. A week or so after you left, a ghoul posing as me--the OWL--murdered near hundreds of innocent people and investigators...it was bad. That ghoul continued and is continuing to wreak havoc and it’s all been pinned on me...the fighting style, the DNA, the evidence...whoever this is had to be familiar with Aogiri and Kanou. Anyway...” He took a breath before he went on.

 

“I’ve been on the run, for about a year. But I haven’t just been running.... I’ve been looking for you, Akira and even Amon but...you’re all gone and I’ve been so alone. Even when I _wasn’t_ being framed, I was still alone...the CCG hated me before that. Houji won’t even look at me--he was happy to lead the search for me. I’ve been starving for weeks Hide...that’s why I acted the way I did. Now I’ve had something to eat and I feel better...”

 

Hide sat there, his heart tightening. He and Seidou were certainly close, and if anyone deserved to know where he went, it was Seidou. Seidou was dealing with a lot of stress and anxiety.... Hide felt awful for leaving without saying a word.

 

“I’m sorry.” Hide managed. “I really am, but please know you’re safe here. You can stay as long as you want.”

 

“Thank you Hide but...I couldn’t be an inconvenience to Mr. Carlton....” Seidou tilted his head, gazing at Carlton now that he was closer. “You look a lot like Mr. Arima, did you know him?”

 

“I’m his brother. Just didn’t know him well...or at all. Still trying to find out how I got here from Japan.”

 

“I still have a lot of files that we need to look through--some stuff I stole from the CCG. I think we’ll be able to figure out how you got here.” Hide encouraged. “We just need time.”

 

“Until then, I think we should get Seidou familiar with the property, after all, it is going to be your new home--”

 

“I can’t impose--”

 

“But you won’t, this is a castle practically Seidou; the rooms are empty, I can always use the company. I suppose this room can be yours...but why don’t you let me and Hide tour you through the property. Are you well to walk?” Seidou nodded and wobbly climbed out of bed. Promptly, he followed Hide and Carlton around the house and as expected, Carlton gave information of the history and previous owners of the estate.

 

Seidou was more interested in the architect and the massive size. “I’ve only heard of stuff like this in fairy tales Hide! I never thought I’d actually live here!” Unknowingly, Seidou clinged to Hide’s arm in his excitement, far tighter than Hide would have liked. However, he didn’t say anything, he smiled along making sure Seidou felt comfortable. The last time Hide saw Seidou before he left to Wales, Seidou was empty...his face was expressionless; he was like a shell. Now he was vibrant, filled with light like a child and Hide wouldn’t trade that for anything.

 

“And finally, this is a portrait of my father, one of many. I was adopted so you may realize he looks nothing like me but he was my father nonetheless.” Carlton motioned to an over sized, rather scary looking portrait of a pale, ginger haired man.

 

“Wow, his hair is really red.” Seidou giggled.

 

“He was Irish, the whole family had red hair. Any more questions? Do you like your new home?”

 

“It’s really nice...I um...would really like to go outside. How do you own all of this by the way? Are you like rich?” Seidou asked.

 

“He’s a Duke.” Hide whispered. “Being rich comes with it I guess.” The trio eventually walked outside and Seidou almost gasped.

 

“It’s so pretty out here! Hide, look at those flowers over there!” Seidou practically yanked Hide away to a flower bed he’d seen so many times before but, Hide didn’t mind. Seeing his friend happy like this, after they’d both been through so much, was worth seeing those flowers all over again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So quick update, i know Houji is dead in canon but for the sake of this fic he is alive. And yes he and all the other ccg members are looking for seidou. And next chapter, seiodu will explain exactly how he found hide. also if you enjoyed, please comment and leave kudos!
> 
> Also if you have a tumblr please follow my tg blog [cloud-chimes](https://cloud-chimes.tumblr.com/)! i post hidekane, hide and tokyo ghoul stuff lol <3


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for all the kudos and comments <3

“How did you find me?” Hide finally asked. 

 

The trio had settled down now after having toured the whole property. Carlton was glued to his phone and was sitting at one of the dining tables. Hide and Seidou had taken to the nearest living room to talk. 

 

“Your computer. The password was the same as it was when you worked for the CCG.” Seidou admitted. “When I went to your house looking for you, I was able to log on. Looking through your history and finding your ticket purchases wasn’t hard.”  He shrugged. “From Tokyo to Cardiff, and then a train to west Wales. Wasn’t difficult.” 

 

Hide let out a dry, nervous chuckle. “Didn’t think I made it that easy...” 

 

“I mean, for me it was. I was the only one who you gave your passwords too.”

 

With that, Hide perked up. “That’s right...no one else in the CCG knew.No one but you...I guess I shouldn’t be all that worried. Are you the one who’s been calling my phone?” 

 

Seidou actually blinked curiously. “Phone? No, I don’t even have a phone.” 

 

Hide frowned. “Oh okay. Just wondering.” More worried if anything; the calls hadn’t stopped. For the past few days they had gotten worse. Hide however, hid his frantic expression. 

 

“I barely had any money...I spent everything on my ticket.” 

 

“Well it’s good you came to the right place.” That was Carlton’s voice, as he had entered the living room. “I think it would be wise to get you a phone, since you’ll be living here. We all need to be able to reach each other.” 

 

“Oh...I couldn’t afford one--”

 

“I can get one for you.” Carlton wasn’t even looking at them, he was glued to his own phone playing a game. “Also, there was another murder--”

 

“Murder?” Seidou asked.

 

“There are murderers loose”  Hide chuckled. “I should have mentioned that before. Carlton and I are looking for them.”

 

Seidou perked up. “You mean like, investigators? I could help, if you’d have me.” 

 

Hide had to remember that Seidou at a point  _ was  _ an investigator and he loved mysteries and detective novels. There was a light that sparked in his eyes at the mere mention of tapping back into that part of his oldlife; feeling useful again and replaying a time before he was a ghoul. Carlton rose an eyebrow and motioned toward Hide, and Hide nodded. 

 

“We would love your help.” 

 

“We’ve been invited to view some of the evidence tomorrow morning, if that’s fine with you two.”  Carlton gazed at Seidou. “But Dr. Braith instructed you to rest if I’m correct. You’ll need to sleep well before you do anything tomorrow. I trust it hasn’t been any easy journey for you.” Seidou actually looked touched, not just at Carlton’s worried gesture but even at Hide. Both could tell that he had been through a lot, his life before this was nothing but pain and confusion. Now something had changed; there was a burst of light in his tired heart simply from the kindness he felt from Hide and Carlton. 

 

“I am a little tired.” He admitted. “It hasn’t been easy...thank you a lot, for letting me stay. I won’t freeload off of you, I’ll pay you back.” Seidou stood, now familiar with the home he looked toward Hide. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

 

“Let me go up with you!” Hide responded, jumping to his feet and following Seidou to the staircase.  “How are you feeling?”

 

“Better now, really.” Seidou admitted. “I think I can finally rest now. Thank you Hide.” 

 

Hide led Seidou to his room and left him to himself. Then quickly, he scurried to his own room where grabbed one of the many boxes he’d gotten from the CCG and brought it downstairs with him. Carlton had moved from the sitting room to the couch and had perked up when Hide returned.

 

“What’s that?” He asked.

 

“A box. Filled with stuff from my time in Tokyo but specifically, filled with stuff about the Sunlit Garden and Arima, your brother.” He grinned. “I told you I’d tell you more about Arima.” He joined Carlton at the sofa and opened the box. Both dug through it pulling out pictures, files and various other things in relation to the CCG but specifically, Arima. 

 

“That’s him isn’t it! Wow, he looks just like me!” Carlton exclaimed. “Just a lot taller and his hair is white...that’s odd, why would someone so young have white hair?”

 

“He was aging fast because of his background with the Sunlit Garden. He had blue hair like you when he was a kid...I guess his hair would have still been blue if it weren’t for that. Here’s some more pictures of him when he was younger. Look--now he looks just like you in that one.” Carlton quickly took the picture from Hide, his fingertips rubbing against the glossy worn surface. There was a hint of longing in his eyes and even greater sadness. “Are there any more?”

 

“Oh yeah, your brother was one of the most famous investigators in the CCG...there are many pictures of him...go ahead and look through.” Hide nervously chuckled. “I kind of stole a lot of this information before the CCG practically went to shit...there are some letters written by Arima, though I haven’t opened them. And look, here are the names of some of the people from the Sunlit Garden...some related to the Arima clan. Yusa, Kishou--that’s your brother, and another one....Kohaku...it says here that Arima Kohaku escaped the Sunlit Garden. But looking at his age and the math...he would have been a toddler so I’m guessing he was helped...”

 

“Hey,” Carlton called. “Look at this letter, it’s from Arima. I can’t make out the words that well but...can you help me? That name Kohaku pops up in this letter...perhaps you could read it better than I can, my kanji isn’t the best.”

 

Curiously, Hide grabbed it and began to read. “That’s okay! Hand it over, let me see..” Hide cleared his throat and began to read. 

_ “I apologize for the lack of communication as this will be the last letter I send to you on the subject matter of Kohaku and the other children. I am extremely grateful for you taking Kohaku and his siblings under your wing and I ask that you withhold any information of the Sunlit Garden and Japan  from them. I also believe it would be wise from here on out that we refrain from using their real names. For Kohaku you suggested the name Carlton, I very much....”  _

 

“Carlton...that’s my name! That’s me!” Carlton beamed. “I don’t understand...did Arima know me?”

 

Hide thought for a bit, slowly putting pieces of this puzzle together. He held the letter, written and signed by Arima and then looked back at the list of the Sunlit Garden kids. As he pondered for just a bit longer, things finally began to make since. “Arima...was the one who got you here Carlton. That has to be it, and you aren’t just Carlton but you’re also Kohaku. Could your dad read Japanese? You said he was Irish but could he?”

 

“I...I don’t know--”

 

“He more than likely could but he wouldn’t teach you because Arima asked him not to. Arima didn’t want you to know about the Sunlit Garden or Japan...he wanted to protect you.” Hide exhaled. “You didn’t know him but he knew you and it seems to me like he really loved you. He loved you enough to take you away from the Washuu’s.”

 

Hide suddenly looked up from the letters and realized that Carlton was teary eyed. “Oh well...this is certainly good...news. I just wish he was alive so I could tell him thank you.”

 

Hide frowned and crawled over to Carlton. He pulled his friend into a hug. “When things cool off in Tokyo we can...we can see and visit your brother’s grave. Later on, we can look through more boxes to see if we can find more pictures of your brother but for now, you can keep all those. The notes, the letters, everything. They belong to you anyway.” Hide held Carlton for a few more moments until he stopped crying and even then, he still held him. Eventually they broke apart and Carlton thanked Hide as he continued to look through pictures. 

 

“Who is that?” Carlton asked, wiping his eyes. “That guy next to Arima.”

 

“Ahh that’s Hirako--”

 

“He’s pretty handsome.” Carlton chuckled. “I wouldn’t mind going to Japan to find him.” Both laughed as they continued to flip through pictures and files. A few pictures of Sasaki popped up and Hide pushed those in another pile to be ripped apart later on. Carlton, seeming to notice made way to speak but was silenced when Hide’s phone rang. 

 

“It’s the same damn number.” Hide groaned. “Who the hell can this--”

 

“Just answer it.” Carlton urged. “If it’s a banker or anything from here, put me on the phone and I’ll set them straight. For all we know though, it can just be a spam call...regardless I feel you’ve wanted to answer it for some time now.”

 

“That’s true I have.” Hide admitted. “But, I’ll let it ring tonight...besides we’re busy aren’t we? Look at all these pictures we have to sort through, and there’s a couple more boxes upstairs so we aren’t done yet.”

 

“True. Hey, who is that?” Carlton had noticed the pictures of Haise next to Hide. 

 

“You know how I told you that Kaneki was brainwashed by the CCG...well, he was Haise Sasaki for a while...this is him. He’s a lot less shittier than Kaneki. I met him once or twice; he didn’t remember who I was but he was sweet. We had coffee together a few times. He eventually invited me to his house for dinner and we...” Hide drifted off. This was such an embarrassing memory of his simply because he was being foolish.

 

“ _ And?”  _ Carlton pressed on. “ _ Did you...? _

 

“Ugh we did. It was after I’d had coffee with him a couple of times...I went to his apartment and things just happened. I climbed out of the window before he woke up the next morning.” 

 

“Hide you’re bad.” Carlton joked. “Poor Sasaki had to be wondering where you were for months.”

 

“And that’s why,” Hide responded, taking the pictures and holding them to his chest. “These have a special place in my heart. I’ve decided I’m not going to shred them. I loved Sasaki...Kaneki is just a piece of shit.” 

 

Both laughed and eventually Hide leaned into the back of the couch followed by Carlton resting his head in Hide’s lap, still looking through the pictures. “Damn your brother would have killed me if he figured out I’d fucked his experiment.”

 

“That whole sentence needs more explaining” Carlton demanded.

 

“Ahh so, your brother loved you but I think that’s about it. He was cold to other people, myself included and Kaneki. I had to bargain with him to keep Kaneki alive but I had to stay away from him, and Kaneki belonged to Arima afterwards. Obviously, sleeping with Haise violated whatever treaty we had.”

 

“Ooh a troublemaker.” Carlton said. “Guess big brother was a no nonsense type of guy.”

 

“He was  _ the  _ no nonsense type of guy.” 

 

The two chatted and laughed for a few more minutes until the television set was turned on. Hide eventually decided to lay down and naturally Carlton nuzzled himself against Hide. For about an hour they watched some TV until both grew tired.  

 

“Hey Hide, are you thinking about Sasaki now?” 

 

Hide didn’t try to lie. “Yep. It was probably one of the best nights of my life. And you, what are you thinking about?”

 

“Hmm...my brother. I miss him, even though I didn’t know him. But I wish I got to.”  He giggled. “But also Hirako. I don’t know him either but, I’m pretending I do. I’m pretending he likes me the same way Sasaki liked you.” Carlton joked. “Goodnight Hide.”

 

“Goodnight Carlton.” 

 

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

The next morning the trio was welcomed to investigate some of the evidence. It was interesting seeing Seidou in his element again; observing the evidence and looking at the facts presented. 

 

“The murderers aren’t very experienced. They’re like the ghouls in Aogiri that we’d use for bait; always sloppy...This smell is strong, and pungent. They’re so obvious in what they do that I could sniff them out in public.”   And that was music to everyone’s ears. Hide had to remember that Seidou was in fact a ghoul and had a superior sense of smell, even more so than Carlton’s. Needless to say with the addition of Seidou, things would be going smoothly for their trio.  After putting together a strategy, Hide and Carlton decided it would be fun to take Seidou around the little country town. 

 

Still not completely healed from his near death experience however, Seidou grew exhausted quickly so they returned to the house. As Seidou prepared to sleep, Hide joined Carlton in the garden. As the two began to talk about the case, Hide’s phone rang.  “Let me take this. If it’s a banker I’ll hand it to you, like you suggested.” Hide stood and walked further into the garden so as not to disturb Carlton. “Listen,” He began, picking up the phone. “Whoever this is, I don’t want to buy your product or anything--”

 

“ _ Hide....it’s me....Ken.”  _

 

That clear voice, as recognizable as day was enough for Hide to drop the phone. He stood there idly for not two seconds before his anxiety took the best of him. He took a deep breath and before he knew it, he had passed out. All he could hear was Carlton’s frantic voice asking if he was alright, and Kaneki demanding to know what had happened on the other end of the phone. 

 

OoOoOoOoOoOo

 

“Was it Nagachika?” Asked a tired investigator. 

 

“Yes, I’m certain.” Replied Kaneki, who currently leaned against the office wall. “I wasn’t sure if Takizawa was with him but I’d venture to say that he was. If the anonymous source tip was enough to confirm Hide’s whereabouts then I have no idea why the same source wouldn’t be factual when it came to Takizawa.” The investigator typed a bit on his computer before facing Kaneki. “Then we’ll inform Houji and contact the government there in Wales. If things go smoothly, we’ll have a unit there to bring in Takizawa by the end of the month.” 

 

“And Hide.” Kaneki added.

 

“Kaneki, I understand--”

 

“Hirako,” Kaneki interrupted. “If Hide is there I’m not leaving without him. I don’t care what he’s doing, he needs to come back to Tokyo. I need him to come back to Tokyo.”

 

Hirako looked back toward his desktop, unconcerned and emotionless. “ _ You,  _ will not be coming on the mission with us, however, Nagachika will be brought back for aiding the SS Owl, as well as anyone affiliated with them. If things go well then we’ll release Nagachika from our custody, but for now, play by the CCGs rules.” 

 

“Understood.” Hirako knew that was a lie and so did Kaneki but none said anything Hirako continued his work and Kaneki turned to leave his office, feeling hopeful that eventually Hide would be home with him again. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SO recap! Basically in this chapter we learn more about Carlton being a sunlit garden child and his relation to Arima and how he ended up in Wales, we learn how Seidou was able to find Hide. In addition, someone from their town tipped off the CCG. So it wasn't by coicidence the CCG found them lol. Someone is feeding the CCG info. And now, the CCG knows where they are. 
> 
> And yes! I'm totally gonna write a ficlet for what Hide was describing--his relationship with Haise even though it was a one night stand! That is wild! 
> 
> AND don't forget I have a tokyo ghoul tumblr [cloud-chimes](https://cloud-chimes.tumblr.com/) ! That's it if you want to follow!


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize for the delay! I got busy lmao. I hope you enjoy. I made this chapter a bit longer (like a couple of pages longer than usual) so I hope you all enjoy. Depending on the feedback i get from this chapter I may decide to make my chapters longer.

“There was a man talking to him on the phone.” Was the first thing Hide heard as he came to. It was Carlton’s vice; as urgent as usual. 

 

“Do you know who he was?” Responded Seidou who sounded just as, or even more worried. “Like...did you pick up anything he was saying?” 

 

“Well I couldn’t understand him...he was speaking Japanese.” Carlton admitted, receiving a sigh for Seidou. 

 

It was at that moment, Hide groaned, forcing himself up. Seidou was the first to join him on the bedside.

 

“Hey, be careful. You took a fall...what happened?”

 

It took Hide a while to gather himself, and to remember just what happened before he ended up in this situation. There was the phone call....the continuous phone calls from that same number and then...Kaneki. 

 

“It was Kaneki...Seidou. He’s been the person who’s been calling me for  _ weeks  _ now...I...I don’t know how he got my number.” Hide admitted, for the first time sounding genuinely frightened. “I don’t know why he has my number or why he’s contacting me. It isn’t like I’ve done anything wrong.” 

 

“There’s a chance he had help from the CCG to track your phone.”

 

“Why in the world would the CCG be tracking Hide’s phone?” Carlton asked, in all honesty. “And what exactly can they do anyway? What are their limits; they sound troublesome.”

 

“Troublesome is an understatement.” Hide responded. “I still have so much to tell you.”

 

Seidou groaned, falling back on the bed. “It’s probably my fault Hide. The CCG is more than likely looking for me and somehow tracked down Hide.” 

 

Hide pondered for a while, but shook his head. “That’s impossible...that number has been calling me for weeks now. Weeks before you came.” 

 

“Well I went into hiding weeks ago.” Seidou admitted. “They could have suspected that I’d run to you all along.”  

 

There was an uncomfortable silence that passed. 

 

Seidou was no doubt blaming himself for what had happened, Hide on the other hand was both frightened and disheartened. He’d be lying if he said there wasn’t a small part of him that wanted Kaneki to care; to still try to search for him even though he was far out of his grasp. While it frightened Hide to know that Kaneki was able to contact him, he was also saddened that the  _ only  _ reason he contacted him was to possibly find Seidou. Nothing else, not even to check in on Hide and see how he was...not even because he loved him. 

 

“I have an idea.” It was Carlton’s cheerful voice, cutting  into both of their minds. “If they’re looking for Seidou, then Seidou just has to disappear.”

 

“You mean leave?” Hide asked, frightened. 

 

“No, I mean...he has to become another person. Perhaps I should have suggested this before.” Carlton exhaled. “We need to change your identity, and make it as if Seidou Takizawa no longer exists...”

 

“I have to fake my death?” Seidou asked.

 

“Yes. We can have a death certificate made for you. Any further research done by the CCG will be halted when they discover you’ve died.”

 

“And then, you can start a new life, Seidou.” Hide placed a hand on Seidou’s shoulder, realizing just how distressed he looked. “I know it’s scary but it’s your chance to start over...new life, new identity , new look. You can leave the ghouls and the CCG behind...that’s why I came here, to start over.” 

 

That look of uncertainty remained, and then , wavered after a few moments. Seidou, seeming to exhale in defeat faced the other two. “I’ve been wanting to start over for a while now.” He admitted, quietly. “I just didn’t know how...I guess coming here, was the first step.” 

 

Carlton nearly jumped in excitement. “Yay! Then we’ll go get your death papers prepared, let’s just say that you broke into my house, I fought you and you died of injuries. Anyone you want to mention in your--”

 

“No...I cut ties with near everyone in Japan...I don’t want to mention anyone.” 

 

There was silent understanding and Carlton hopped up. “I’ll be back.” 

 

“Thank you.” Seidou responded, sincerely. “Thank both of you for helping and taking me in.”

 

“No need to thank me Seidou! You’re my friend, I know you’d do the same for me.” Hide replied. 

 

OoOoOoOoOoOoO

 

Kaneki reviewed the documents in front of him. 

 

A few pictures of Hide at the airport, his lone bag clamped in his hand and a few more loose papers that listed some possible destinations. Kaneki continued to look through the documents, coming upon more pictures of Hide in what Kaneki presumed to be Wales. In most of the pictures he was alone; at the store, a cafe, in the park or simply walking. In others however, he was with someone else.  

 

A short, blue haired man that Kaneki had soon discovered was more than likely a Sunlit Garden survivor and more specifically, Arima’s younger brother. Given Kaneki’s poor past with those from the Sunlit Garden, he was extremely worried and saw this strange man as a danger to Hide. Perhaps like Furuta, he had ill intentions; it could have very well been his plan to lure Hide there to Wales for whatever sinister reasons. 

 

When Kaneki found Seidou, he’d kill him and he’d kill Carlton too. He’d do anything to keep Hide safe and bring him home. 

 

“Ken.” A knock on his door frame brought him back to reality and he looked up to see Yomo gazing at him. “Have you found anything yet?”

 

“Still some pictures of Hide, some addresses and some more information on the Sunlit Garden survivor. Still nothing about Takizawa yet.” 

 

“That won’t be good enough for Investigator Houji or Hirako to even consider sending the CCG to another country.  Until you get solid evidence on Takizawa-”

 

“Hirako  hasn’t seen the evidence of a Sunlit Garden survivor, that may change his mind. I’m going to present it to him, tomorrow.” 

 

There was an uncomfortable silence and Renji, leaning against the doorway stared on. “You have to properly end things with Touka before you go on about this, Ken. I don’t mind you breaking up with my niece, but stringing her along with this without ending things properly--”

 

“I’m not ready to let her go.” Kaneki lied. “She is the mother of my child, it isn’t that simple. This isn’t about Hide either...It’s about bringing Takizawa to justice; he’s terrorized so many people, and if there’s someone from the Sunlit Garden working with Takizawa then that can be an issue, and international issue.” 

 

Yomo frowned. “The repercussions that will come from what you’re doing will give Uta a run for his money, but you seem to be all to used to drama.”

 

“Only when it involves people I care about.” Kaneki admitted, realizing that he’d dug himself into a further hole.

 

OoOoOoOoO

 

“Congratulations! Seidou Takizawa is dead!” Carlton practically sang as he joined Hide and Seidou on the couch. He’d been gone for hours, giving them updates on the whole process of Seidou’s “death”. He handed Seidou his certificate and both Carlton and Hide watched quietly as Seidou looked over it; his expression tensing but eventually loosening. He took a deep breath, as if he was finally able to put a painful part of his past behind him. To an extent, Hide knew how he felt. There was something exhilarating about starting over and seeking a new life. In a way, he was jealous of Seidou. 

 

“So, this is it?”

 

“Yes. You are dead to all governments...now all we need to do is, give you a new identity. New name and everything.”

 

“I...don’t even know where to start. The only other name I had other than Seidou Takizawa was the Owl...I’m guessing I have to pick something different...like a name from here?”

 

“I think that would be smart.” Hide responded, sitting up from his end of the sofa. “It would make it less likely for the CCG to get suspicious.”

 

“Great. I have no idea where to start with names from here.”

 

“Perhaps I can be of assistance!” Carlton joined in. “This is going to be fun! I’ve never given someone a name before!” 

 

“I mean, it can’t be that hard...you have a pretty simple name.” Hide laughed.

 

“Well...Carlton is actually my middle name. Llewellyn is my first name, followed by Carlton, the Berwyn then by a couple of other names.” He shrugged. “It’s quite common if you’re of nobility.” 

 

Seidou nearly cried. “Great, now I have to have a name I can’t even remember or pronounce.”

 

“Ooh well you don’t have to have a name like mine. Three names would do just fine for here. A first, middle and last name is extremely common...erm...first let’s find your first name.” 

 

“Arnold!” Hide called from the opposite side of the sofa; his phone in his hand. “I found it on a list--”

 

“Next.” 

 

“Dougal!” Carlton chimed in. 

 

“Ew, next.” Seidou flung his hand in the air.  

 

“Seamus!” Carlton attempted but Seidou disliked that one more than the first two. For an hour or so the trio argued and searched until finally, they all picked one name they liked that would eventually serve as Seidou first , middle and last name. 

 

“Colwyn...Arthur...Shannon.”  Seidou repeated. 

 

“Mr. Shannon simply for those who don’t know you.” Carlton inclined. “Tomorrow, we’ll all go get your papers settled and you’ll be a new man!”

 

“How does that make you feel?” Hide asked.

 

“I feel good but, I also want to ask one more thing.” Seidou looked toward Carlton. “I love this place and I want to live here but...I don’t want to freeload. I do want a job, so I’ll go looking in a couple of days. Even if it’s a clerk or anything....I want to do something. Is that okay, Carlton?”

 

“Wonderful!” Carlton responded. “Oh, Seidou I’m so happy for you!” Carlton practically leaned over and embraced Seidou in a similar manner he did Hide. Truly now, Seidou felt like a part of this family, or whatever it was. 

 

“Are you thinking of changing your identity, Hide?”

 

“No offense, but Hideyoshi Nagachika is like a trademark...I can’t part from it, not yet. And to be fair, I don’t have a special class investigator like Houji chasing after me, or any guy for that matter. Can’t say I’m not jealous.” He joked. “Wouldn’t it be nice to have a handsome man chasing after us, Carlton? Seidou is lucky.”

 

“Ahh don’t act like Kaneki didn’t cause you to pass out on the phone.” Seidou joked. “In that right, you  _ do  _ have a handsome man chasing after you.” Hide actually laughed, figuring he should have taken that ‘joke’ more seriously but now, all he could do was laugh. 

 

“Then that leaves me; you two are lucky. I wish a strong, attractive man was trying to track me down from across the sea.” Carlton sighed. “It’s so romantic.” 

 

“Don’t feel too bad for yourself.” Seidou chuckled. “These men are crazy. You already have a lot to handle with us.” There was more laughter and chattering from the group until night had fallen, and the trio parted ways to go to bed. 

 

OoOoOoOoOo

 

A few days had passed since Kaneki had thoroughly observed the information. Now, with a bit more clarity and understanding, he presented it to Hirako and the two thoroughly looked over it. 

 

“There is a death certificate from Seidou that was issued by the county of Abernanth, Wales a few days ago.” Kaneki began. “Takizawa was there, but it’s obvious that he’s dead--”

 

“It’s a ruse.” Hirako interrupted. “Investigator Houji and I have already gone over it. The obituary and certificate are both real however, Takizawa is alive. He faked his death or, someone helped him.”

 

“Hide?” Kaneki responded, hopeful.

 

“We can’t be sure if it’s him or not helping Takizawa  _ however,  _ we do know Takizawa’s whereabouts and we know that he is alive. I also looked over the information you sent me regarding Nagachika and the Sunlit Garden survivor.”

 

“Yes.” Kaneki said, rather impatiently, getting a bland look from Hirako. 

 

“If the Sunlit Garden is involved in any way shape of form, then the CCG  _ has  _ to handle that situation. That said, while you are aiding Houji in the investigation for the Owl, I will be running my own investigation on...Carlton...is his name, I believe.” He shuffled a few papers, and continued again. “Given our own research and tips from the same anonymous sources, the CCG has reason to believe that yes, Nagachika is connected to Seidou and he is now connected to a survivor of the Sunlit Garden. That said, we are currently working on permission from the Welsh government to conduct an extraction of mainly Takizawa, but Nagachika and his new friend as well.”

 

It was then he gave Kaneki a stern, almost angry look. “I’m offering you a place on this mission, if only you can remember you are working with the CCG. Your mission is to help Investigator Houji track down the Owl, not Nagachika or anyone else. Can you understand that?”

 

“Yes. You are running an investigation on Carlton and Hide and I’m to aid Investigator Houji. Understood.” 

 

Hirako nodded. “We’ll have a briefing shortly and hopefully, things go smoothly.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So recap. 
> 
> Carlton pulled some strings to fake Seidou's death and get him a new identity, so he's good. 
> 
> But the CCG is conducting an investigation on all of them, they are still receiving information from an anonymous source, an accurate source. Kaneki is also being foolish and selfish, yes he is still with Touka but still wants Hide back. So he needs to make up his mind. 
> 
> Please tell me what you think! Comments and kudos would make me so happy. 
> 
> And also, I have a tumblr [cloud-chimes](https://cloud-chimes.tumblr.com/)! Please follow if you like tg content lmao.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry for the late response! i've been so busy but here is a long, and happy chapter.

Two weeks had passed since the phone calls and from Hide’s perspective, things had returned to normal. 

 

He was back writing his novel (which is what he originally came to Wales to do), Carlton was doing his own work. Strangely enough, the murders had stopped. Hide wasn’t sure if it was temporary or if the culprits had left Abernanth for good. After Seidou’s arrival and his constant presence at the police station, Hide didn’t blame the murderers for keeping their presence to a minimum. Still, they’d have to find them eventually for it would  be a shame if they went off terrorizing another town. 

 

Speaking of Seidou, it was both Carlton and Hide’s belief that eventually, he’d work at the detective’s office. He wouldn’t stop talking about how much he loved helping out the officers, and from what Seidou and Carlton had heard, the officers very much enjoyed his company. 

 

Like Hide, Seidou was blending in well to this town and life. Aside from the murders and the phone calls, this had proven to be an extremely normal and uneventful life for Hide. But to him and Seidou, it was far from boring. People knew them; the officers at the police station commonly invited Seidou to lunch or coffee (depending on which were ghouls), Hide frequented a couple of cafes and the local library, where shop owners and common dwellers got to know him and his work. 

 

By now, after so much conversation and swapping of books and story ideas (he unsurprisingly bumped into mainly literature majors) he knew people’s names, knew what they did and shared contact information with writers around his age. For the first time since university, Hide found himself in a “study” group, or a book club. It reminded him of all his lost time at university, the few weeks where he got to study, and feel like a normal person. Those nights in the library, drinking coffee and energy drinks until two in the morning...stressful nights and no sleeep but Hide cherished those moments, and they ended too soon. 

 

He’d never forget the day he walked into the registration office, asking to be withdrawn from all his courses. Truth be told, he was only taking a semester break; he didn’t expect for it to be...permanent. Those days of living in the dorm, meeting new people on a regular basis and purely just having...fun, were gone. All in hopes that Hide would find Kaneki. His dreams, old friends and old life, thrown out of the window.

 

To Hide, Wales wasn’t Japan, it didn’t have the same people or the same scenery, but there was something about it that seemed almost; magical.  

 

Hide had long decided he’d say here but it was days like this, when he could smell the fragrance of tea and coffee and when he was free discuss his ideas and future novels with people who loved him, was his mind truly made up. More importantly now,  he had a family. Even if it was just Carlton and Seidou--well Colywyn now, it was still a family. Still more of a family than Hide ever had. 

 

Hide seldom thought of Kaneki now--the phone call and everything was just a distant memory for he was looking toward bigger, brighter things. 

 

OoOoOoOoOoO

  
  


Upon coming to Wales, Hide had gotten used to many things--the language, the people, and the calm way of life. But if there was one thing that caught him off guard, it was the fact that Carlton--a ghoul--had a hobby for hunting. 

 

“Still like the taste of partridge.” He admitted, walking through a thick brush, his rifle in one hand in an unfortunate bird in the other. “Dad always took me out hunting as a boy, all of us. Brona, Richard and Christopher--”

 

“Are they all adopted too? From Japan?” Hide asked, dodging tree branches and stepping over rocks as he attempted to catch up to Carlton.

 

“Yes. You’ll probably see Brona around, goes by Ari. She is my younger sister, my full sister.” When they got to the clearing, Carlton paused, then gestured the gun to Hide. “Have you ever shot a gun before?”

 

“Yeah,” Hide admitted, remembering his time using guns at the CCG. “It was a long time ago, how come?” 

 

“Been thinking, about the murders, the phone call...the possibility of the CCG coming to get Seidou, or even you. I guess, if I wasn’t home or if Seidou wasn’t home and someone did happen to break in the house, or try to do something...it would be wise to know how to defend yourself.” Carlton advised and Hide, nearly took the weapon to himself until Carlton took it away. “Maybe tomorrow or so, I’ll take you and Seidou out shooting. This gun here isn’t suitable for self defense; I have a few in shed you can use if the time calls for it. For now, let’s head inside.” Hide shuddered slightly, following behind his small friend.

 

So it was on his mind to? Was Carlton getting worried about things; was he feeling what Hide was attempting to push away?  

 

In silence, the two entered the manor. After Carlton changed into house clothes he scurried in the kitchen, and began plucking the feathers of the partridge. Hide stayed in the living room, gazing over the drafts of his novel. The duo continued to do their own things for a good hour or so and then, they were disturbed by the sound of the front door near flying off its hinges, followed by Seidou shouting in glee. 

 

“Hide! Carlton!” He ran into the house, near tripping as he made it to the living room. “I got it!”

 

“Got what?!” Carlton was near as excited, emerging from the kitchen with partridge guts all over  his hands. Hide, placing his work down joined Carlton’s side, both staring at Seidou in sheer curiosity.

 

“The job! I applied to be an elementary teacher at the school down the road; it’s just walking distance! I got the position as the art history teacher--just simple things, like art styles, and painting and--”

 

“That’s great, Seidou!” Hide nearly bolted over to him, pulling him into a tight hug. “I’m so happy for you!” And he was. Both Carlton and Hide had been helping Seidou job search, though they were sure he’d work at the police station. This was quite a surprise, still not completely unexpected. Hide had known Seidou loved children and teaching; after all, he was an instructor at the academy at a point.   Eventually Carlton, having vanished to wash his arms hands, joined in the hug, near knocking Seidou and Hide off of their feet. “Seidou,that’s wonderful! You’ll make an excellent teacher!” There was laughter amongst the trio for a few more moments until they broke, the feeling of happiness still alive between them. 

 

That feeling still lingered on as dinner dawned. 

 

Hide for the first time in his life, had tasted a partridge; it didn’t taste like anything he ever had before. It was a soft, subtle of  taste and very lightly seasoned. Carlton, realizing how pleased Hide looked seemed proud of his cooking and dug into his plate, whereas Seidou who could not eat human food, toyed around with his coffee. It was then, he cleared his throat, getting the attention of the other two.

 

“Yes?” Carlton asked, a smile on his face.

 

“It’s nothing it’s just...I don’t really know how to say this but....this is the first time in years that I’ve felt like I had a family. I have a new job, a house and friends...and you two, Hide , Carlton...you’re my family.” 

 

There was a brief silence and before Carlton could speak, Hide jumped in.

 

“I’ve felt the same way, actually. The last few years of my life...they’ve been crazy. Now I can breathe. I don’t have to worry about looking for anyone, or trying to chase after someone who doesn’t care about me. I’ve been able to start over, as a writer...a detective. I’ve had fun and I wouldn’t be here without your help Carlton. Thank you for giving me this chance, and this home.”

 

Seidou nodded in agreement. “I was getting to that--I wouldn’t have a new identity, home or a job if you didn’t let me stay. We wouldn’t be a family, if it weren’t for you letting Hide and I stay. I think, you saved us and you don’t even realize it.” 

 

Carlton, having long since put his fork down wore the kindest smile on his face, but his eyes seemed saddenned; almost as if he wanted to cry.  

 

“That’s funny. I could have said the same thing.” He exhaled. “I live in such a big house, in such a beautiful place...I have so much money but my God, it’s been so lonely here. I have three siblings but.. none of them care to visit me. They left the country for better things.  It’s been so lonely. I don’t know what you two have gone through and I bet it’s nothing compared to being lonely but...I’ve been tortured by this empty house and my empty life. So, I think I should thank you two...as well. So thank you.” 

 

There was a silence that passed, but it wasn’t uncomfortable or unbearable. In fact, it gave the trio a chance to think of what they’d say, and how they’d add depth to the rest of the conversation.

 

“I don’t know about Hide, but I plan to stay here.” Seidou blurted out. “I mean, if that’s okay with you Carlton--”

 

“Yes, of course it is.” Carlton grinned. “You and Hide can stay forever if you want.”

 

“Great, I wasn’t even going to ask, but this place is our home Carlton and we’re a family. You’re stuck with us; all our problems and faults, whether you like it or not.”

 

Carlton chuckled. “All the problems in the world are far better than being lonely....I’m happy to find a family.” It was then, his eyes widened  in an excited manner and he spoke. “Have you two ever been sailing before? It’s quite fun, plus just being out on sea is relaxing. I haven’t gone out in a while given I haven’t had anyone to sail with but, would you two like to come with me tomorrow evening?”

 

“I’ve never in my life been on a sailboat, it sounds fun!” Seidou exclaimed. “I’d love to go!”

 

“Yeah me too!” Hide was just as excited. “We’d be going in the afternoon--we’d see the sunset right? That would give me something to write about.” 

 

“It’s one of the most beautiful things. I think it would be a perfect way to celebrate Seidou’s new job.” Carlton perked. 

 

“And it can celebrate the start of our new family.” Hide added on. “We have a lot to be happy about, why not celebrate it all?”

 

OoooooO

 

Eyes focused on the setting sun above, Hide hadn’t quite found the words to truly express how this moment made him feel. Upon boarding the medium sized sailboat and going off into sea, Hide had a few ideas inspired by the waves, the sunset and even the boat itself that he’d hope to turn into a poem within that hour or so they were away from the shore. 

 

Yet now, all he could do was stare at the sun falling behind the deep blue waves. He was captivated in its light and in the moment. Even as Seidou and Carlton spoke loudly to one another on the lower deck, laughing and chattering away, Hide could not seem to pay attention to them, nor care about anything else other than the beauty of the sunset, the sky and the ocean. 

 

Perhaps it was then,  _ truly  _ then, when all his pain and suffering seemed to vanish with the setting sun. Compared to the vast sea, which seemed endless to Hide, everything else was just...small....meaningless.  Kaneki, Ichika, Touka--the ghouls...they just all seemed so miniscule when looking at the endless abyss before him. And that wasn’t a bad feeling; it didn’t make him feel frightened or alone--no not anymore. If anything, Hide could breathe. With every wave that crashed against the hull of the sailboat, Hide felt lighter and lighter until....he simply didn’t care anymore. 

 

Not about Kaneki, the CCG or anything. Those memories were gone like the sun and passed over Hide like the waves upon the sailboat’s hull. 

 

All of a sudden; he could breathe. The conversation between Seidou and Carlton drew Hide in and now, for the first time in years, he was living in the moment for the moment. 

 

“Is everything alright up there?” Carlton called from the lower deck area. “You seem dazed Hide!”

 

“No, just thinking to myself!” Hide called back in response, now coming to join his friends on the lower deck. “What ocean is this?”

 

“The Irish Sea!” Seidou called, leaning over the rail. “Carlton told me, and I also looked it up before we got here.” Hide joined the two on the rail, looking further off into the distance, once again engrossed in the emotion of feeling lighter. 

 

“If we went further down south, we’d hit the Celtic Sea after St. Gregory’s Channel. If we went further ahead well...we’d make it to Ireland in about five hours. Perhaps one day we should go. Have you or Seidou ever been to Ireland? That’s where my father was from, I used to go all the time--in this boat.”

 

“Until I came here, I’d never left Japan.” Seidou admitted. “Going to Ireland sounds fun.” 

 

“Great, we can make it a vacation, would you be up for it Hide?”

 

“I’ve read about Ireland since I was a kid; I’ve always wanted to go since. I read about fairy tales and magical creatures from Ireland. I’d like to see it myself.” Hide nudged Carlton. “It will be like an adventure; our first family trip.”  The rest of the outing concluded with Carlton at the helm of the sailboat, bringing them back to shore. By that time, it was twilight. The sky was a beautiful mix of pink, purples, oranges and blue; the stars and moon were just now glimmering in the distance. The trio sat along the shore line, watching as the waves crept up on the sand and vanished back into the sea. 

 

“I dare one of you to walk into the water.” Carlton randomly spoke, laughter hidden under his requests. “For no reason, other than just to do it.”

 

“Isn’t that water like, cold?” Seidou responded. “Are we gonna freeze?”

 

“Technically, you and Carlton can’t but...I can.” Hide stood. “Still, I’m not the one to back down from a dare, no matter how ridiculous it is.”  It was just then, as the water nearly touched his feet, Hide bent over, gathered a huge scoop of the water in his hands and splashed the water right toward Carlton. He nearly squealed, standing on his feet and trying to avoid more water coming his way. 

 

“How is that for a dare--”

 

Hide had near forgotten Carlton had a kagune, and within seconds had been tripped to the point where his whole body was submerged--the freezing water soaking all his clothes.

 

“You tried Hide, but you can’t fool me. I have heightened senses and can literally sense the sneakiest attack--” 

 

Carlton was rendered silent when Seidou nudged him into the water, a wave near taking him out to sea.  Within seconds, there was an eruption of laughter from all three and then, none left the beach dry. Splashing , yelling, running and laughter ended the night and for the first time in months, Hide did not reflect back on Tokyo or Kaneki. He only thought of the sea, his new found family and dodging splashes of cold water. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed. The point of this chapter was basically to show how close they’d all gotten as a family and show how happy Hide truly is. I thought of adding the CCG in this chapter, but I didn’t wanna take away from the moment. A lot is going to change in the next few chapters anyway, and there new family structure will truly be tested. Anyway, I apologize for the late update   
> please don't forget to comment and leave kudos. i'm just getting used to doing long chapters so the more feedback i get for those the more i think i'll decide to do them. also And also, I have a tumblr [cloud-chimes](https://cloud-chimes.tumblr.com/)! Please follow if you like tg content lmao.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you so much for all the feedback on the previous chapter! And omg--101 kudos! Thank you! I also want to apologize for the lack of updates. I’ve been super busy with school. But i love this story so much, I really do. I want to continue this story so like, thank you all for your support <3.

Hide held his first published book in his hands.

 

A hardcover novel; the cover picture depicting woods and a lone traveler. All he held was a lantern that barely lit the path before him but as the readers knew, he’d still pursue on. He’d find love only to lose it, make friends only to be forgotten and eventually, without a word--he’d leave.

 

That was the first novel, Hide was still working on the second. Like this one, it would more than likely take a couple of months but he was still excited to write it.

 

As he looked around the bookstore--the shelf that contained his book was near empty. He was barely able to get a copy of his own novel but surprisingly, he wasn’t upset by that. This was just the first week and it had completely sold out. He heard the comments, read reviews; everyone _loved_ him. His book was already a hit in the United Kingdom and in the United States. The whole town had purchased it and they loved it. Those who knew he was the author wouldn’t stop giving him praise.

 

He had eventually ended up changing his name He couldn’t risk his identity getting out there. It did hurt him, to part with the name Hideyoshi Nagachika. But like ‘Seidou Takizawa’, Hide was dead - perhaps that was for the best.

 

With that all in mind, he still felt accomplished. In the midst of his thought, a group of young adults swept the store, taking the last of his books.

 

“My sister already read it--she said it was amazing!” One in the group said before they hurried to checkout.

 

Hide paused for a while, his heart warming with gratitude. He was disturbed however, when he heard a sigh from behind him. He turned around and there stood a small woman. She wore glasses, and sported white hair tied into a messy bun. A long, fuzzy cardigan covered her leggings and T-Shirt.

 

“Can I help you?” Hide asked.

 

“Oh! I saw you holding that book for a while and was wondering whether or not you’d buy it.”

 

“Ahh--I have one at home, was just looking at the reviews--here if you want it you can--”

 

“I figured. Why would the author need to buy his own book--after all, you are Hideyoshi Nagachika? Right? Even if that’s not the name on the cover?” It was then, Hide paled. His heart began to skip several beats as he stared wide eye in horror at this strange girl. Was she from the CCG? Was she one of Kaneki’s followers? Perhaps she was looking for Seidou, to drag him back to Japan.

 

It was then she laughed, seeing the distressed look on Hide’s face.

 

“Sorry if that was unwarranted. My name is Brona, but you can call me Ari. I’m Carlton’s little sister--he told me about you, and that you were staying here. He also told me you helped him figure out some pieces of our pasts...like our elder brother and our mother. So, I wanted to thank you in person for that.”  

 

She held out a hand, and Hide took it. Breathing a sigh of relief, he shook. He remembered Carlton mentioning his sister...he also had two other siblings he grew up with. Hide figured they were all escapees from the Sunlit Garden.

 

“Oh, you’re welcome! I’m glad I could help--really I am. Your brother has been so kind to me...here, you can have the book!” Hide handed it to her. “I already have the draft at home.”

 

“I’ve heard so many great things about it!”

 

Hide followed her to the checkout station and the two left the bookstore together. “It’s odd...Carlton tells me that most of this book is supposed to a metaphor of your life in Japan...I just got back from Tokyo.”

 

“How is it there?” Hide couldn’t stop himself, it seemed like a natural question.

 

“Still as busy as ever; though after the whole dragon incident--things are a little-”

 

“The CCG--how are they?” That question, was a bit more impulsive but Ari seemed to understand. She nodded.

 

“The CCG is actually making a lot of progress though...there are still rogue ghoul groups from what I heard. At least, that’s what my friend told me. He isn’t in the CCG anymore, apparently something bad happened to him and he just left.”

 

There was a silence until Hide continued. “Who is your friend? A former investigator I presume?”

 

Ari chuckled. “Yes but...like you, he’d rather stay.... hidden from the world. He’s starting over, but hey--” She took a business card, and handed it to Hide. It read, _Ace of Wands,_ with an address. “It’s a clothing story if you ever want to come by. You can buy some clothes or...meet that former investigator. Perhaps he can answer all your questions about the CCG and Tokyo.”

 

Hide took the card before stuffing it into his pocket, offering Ari a kind smile. They walked outside of the book store and prepared to go their separate ways.

 

“I hope I see more of you soon, Miss Ari!” She seemed genuinely kind and sweet. And after the initial worry and skepticism was gone, he did want to see more of her. Now more than ever, he was curious about the former investigator she spoke about. Hide was a lot less worried than he should have been (he figured), but again, he trusted Ari. She wasn’t a spy from the CCG or Kaneki--that was simply Hide being to paranoid.

 

And to be fair, with how things changed so drastically at the CCG, Hide didn’t blame anyone for up and leaving.

 

He and Ari said their goodbyes and turning on his heel, Hide headed home.

 

OOOO

 

“How do I look?” Seidou slid into the living room with a look of desperation plastered on his face. His hair was neatly combed back save for a few stray stands and he wore a casual turtle neck and slacks.

 

Hide, having just arrived back to the house, collapsed on the sofa next to Carlton--his eyes slowly drifting toward Seidou in confusion.

 

“What’s up?”  

 

“He has a date with one of his coworkers.” Carlton chimed in. “He’s been changing clothes for hours now.”

 

“This is the first date I’ve been on, in years!” Seidou defended. “And this guy--Derwen--really likes me. He’s tall, kind, sweet...And of course it’s just coffee but--”

 

“It’s a start.” Hide filled in. “You look wonderful Seidou, and I hope you enjoy your date? What time are you supposed to meet?”

 

“Like now...” Seidou exhaled. “I’m so late...I hope he doesn’t ditch me at the coffee shop...or would I be ditching him?” Seidou nearly tripped over himself getting to the front door. A few moments after he’d left, both Hide and Carlton burst into laughter.  

 

“Seidou was always nervous--I’m not surprised that he’s so anxious. But the date will probably go really well for him.”    

 

“Seidou is a very kind person, I don’t see how this ‘Derwen’ will be able to resist him.” The two exhaled briefly before Carlton reached for the remote and as customary, began flipping through the channels.

 

“I met your sister today...Ari? She bought one of my books!”

 

Carlton beamed. “That’s wonderful! She just got back from Japan --she brought one of her...friends with her. I don’t know who he is, but I guess one of these days we’ll meet him.”

 

“That’s what she told me. That he was a former investigator from the CCG. I’ll be honest, it makes me feel a lot better that...” Hide trailed off, the television capturing his attention just a bit before he continued. “I’m not the only one who just left Japan after everything. There’s me...Seidou and now this other guy. I knew there were some others who weren’t happy with the direction of the CCG, who felt betrayed but...I never knew any more left.” He shrugged. “I think that, for all the investigators have done, they deserve to leave if they want to.”

 

Carlton nodded silently in agreement as his primary attention remained glued to the television. He knew little about the logistics of the CCG and the rotten emotions exhibited from many of the investigators after Kaneki had--if anything, proclaimed himself leader. In addition to Shuu somehow getting the title of ambassador...the same ghoul that happened to kill humans for fun...Hide certainly didn’t blame many former doves for having poor feelings and Shuu was certainly someone he’d _never_ want to see again.

 

“Look!” Carlton finally found a channel he liked. It was the local news channel and on the screen, both Hide and Carlton realized there was a festival going on not too far away from them. “Would you like to go? We should celebrate your novel selling out in over four different countries, Hide. This looks like one of the early fall festivals--I think you’d like to go.”

 

Hide perked up, stretched and yawned. “If Seidou’s having fun tonight, then we should too.”

 

Carlton squealed. “Yes! Let’s head to the car!”

 

OoOoOoOoO

 

There were many festivals and events Hide had attended when in Tokyo.

  
The last few festivals he’d gone to, he attended alone. Even when he had reunited with Kaneki...he was always in the background. Touka , Kaneki, Hinami and everyone else seemed to group around each other and Hide was somewhat forgotten.

 

Things were different now.

 

Despite looking like Arima Kishou and sharing some of his mannerisms, Carlton _was_ not like Arima in personality. With his arm interlocked with Hide’s, he near dragged him to every booth until the two of them had tasted every little sweet and sampled every drink around. Despite being near exhausted, Hide found himself not caring. He was enjoying himself.

 

Seeing the families, the couples and groups of friends all together...things felt different.

 

In the past, he’d be hit with an immense amount of jealousy and even sadness. Now, he felt included. He wasn’t alone he had a family, he had friends. Things had certainly changed for the better. Carlton, despite nearly pulling Hide off his feet to get him to see _every_ little attraction, was doing wonders for Hide’s esteem. The feeling of having someone care for him, of wanting him to enjoy the moment and wanting him to be included was gratifying. With that in mind, Hide wondered why he’d ever let Kaneki make him feel so small, or even so isolated.

 

Near three hours had passed and midnight was dawning upon them. Carlton had taken Hide a distance from the festival and to a remote hill just outside of the village. Despite his drowsiness, Hide made the trek to the top of the hill where he sat with Carlton. He was rendered breathless at the sight of the brilliant lit town below.

 

“I used to come up here all the time as a child. I went with my siblings...they left...so I was alone…haven’t come back recently.”

 

Hide felt his heart skip a couple of beats, prompting him to respond. “I know all about feeling lonely. As pretty as it is up here, I can’t imagine it was that nice coming up alone.”

 

“No. It wasn’t.” Carlton turned to gaze at Hide, exhaling slightly as he continued on. “Being up here with someone however...with you, makes the town shine ever clearer...”

 

A few moments of silence passed, interrupted by a calm wind breeze that blew between the two. It was then Hide spoke again.

 

“The festival...it meant a lot to me, Carlton. The last few I’ve gone to...let’s just say, I was alone. Going with you was the first time, I wasn’t. You made me feel different--you made me feel alive. Thank you for that.”

 

Hide’s eyes caught Carlton’s at that moment and the two simply gazed at one another other. Carlton, as usual wore a soft smile on his face. “I’m glad I could help.”

 

Hide wondered if Carlton speculated him to be looking at the city lights from below, or even the stars that spotted the dark sky. Hide hoped so--for as close as he got to Carlton, he was embarrassed to admit that he was looking at him the whole time. It was difficult not to wonder what Seidou was doing, wonder what he felt for this new man, while Hide, this whole time felt the same way about Carlton. Perhaps he didn’t know--not until now. And even if he didn’t have the strength to tell Carlton now--maybe he would later. Yet, for Hide, keeping it to himself made him all the happier.

 

OoOoOoOoOoO

 

Hide’s morning the next day was quite normal and uneventful.

 

He ordered his usual coffee and made way to the library. He had a few more ideas to think about regarding his new novel and figured spending a couple of hours at the library would give him the inspiration to actually write.

 

By that time, noon had strolled around. The morning now behind him, Hide figured his afternoon would be just as uneventful.

 

Yet that was of course the issue. His noon was anything but normal.

 

Upon entering the library, Hide made way to his normal book space but then stopped when he _thought_ he saw a familiar figure come into view.

 

At first, he blamed his mind on playing tricks with him, and then, he blamed it on the youthful population in the town. Everyone dyed their hair crazy colors; yellow, pink, orange...white....

 

Yet, that stare-- _no--_ that glare. That _cold_ wolf like glare was enough to send shivers down Hide’s spine and if not physically-- _emotionally_ take him back to those long, exhausting days in Japan where he felt worthless.

Hide could barely catch a breath when he turned on his heel to run.

 

He had to be quick or Kaneki would get him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you are curious--yes, it is Kaneki. Like the real deal. Next chapter will explain how the CCG got here and just about everything else! Also, please leave comments and kudos. I'm thinking that i'm gonna stick with 5-6 page chapters bcs y'all really seem to like them. so thank you!


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for the comments before! Sorry for the delay!

"Are you sure it was him?" Seidou asked, his arms on Hide's shoulder attempting to calm him down.

"Y-Yes. The eyes, the hair...it was him Seidou. He's here, in the town." He tried his best to compose his voice, but the fear in it was evident. And given he'd run near twenty minutes, he could barely breathe. 

At the other end of the table, Carlton sat. He wore a sympathetic expression, his eyes directed toward Hide before he spoke. 

"Calm down...just take a few deep breaths."

"It..it's hard." Hide finally breathed. "I've made it this far and now he's back." He hated being like this; his voice broken and shaking like a frightened child. He'd made it to this point only to be reduced to tears, in front of Seidou and Carlton no less.

"I know it's hard but Hide... know he can't hurt you. Not anymore--"

"But he saw me!"

"But he has no reason to get you. He has no reason to hurt or attack you Hide. For whatever reason he's here, he cannot lay a finger on you." Carlton encouraged.  

Things went silent for a while and Hide continued to exhale, one shaky breath after another. Seidou for a few moments, looked down at his hands which were currently balled into fists. They loosened eventually, as he looked up at both Carlton and Hide. 

"He may not have a reason to hurt Hide but....what if he has a reason to hurt me?" Seidou stammered.

"No....Seidou..." Hide, despite not wanting to believe what Seidou was implying, couldn't see any other real reason Kaneki would be there, in Wales.

"The CCG must have found me. Maybe I left a paper trail behind, or something...maybe I wasn't..." Seidou's lips began to quiver slightly yet, he took a breath, his eyes drifting back toward Hide. "If the CCG is here, they're here for me. I need to turn myself in--"

"No, Seidou." It was Carlton who spoke this time. "No one is leaving here, no one is getting taken by the CCG, or Kaneki or anyone." His voice was bold and firm. "You two haven't done anything wrong, nothing at all. You started a new life here, you left all of that behind you. Seidou, what they accuse you of--is false, you did not do it. So you have no reason to fear."

"The CCG is ruthless. Kaneki is ruthless--"

"Then I'll just have to protect you both. From Kaneki, from the CCG..." He gave them both a kind, reassuring smile. "They don't even know where you two are...and by law, no one can search my estate without my permission. Nor can they come onto the property. If the CCG truly is here then stay here, inside this house, until things blow over." 

Hide didn't know what else to do but nod. He wouldn't dream of leaving the house after seeing Kaneki. 

"And Seidou--I can go to the school--explain to your boss that I need you for a personal job." 

Seidou, still looking at his fists nodded. Eventually he stood to his feet, silently and kept to himself. He took a couple of steps and then, to Hide and Carlton's shock, he stumbled. Almost as if he had lost his footing. 

"Seidou!" They both called--Hide running to him first, helping him to his feet.

"I'm...I'm fine. Thank you Hide. Carlton, I think I'm going to go to bed. Thank you for everything." 

Hide and Carlton remained silent as Seidou vanished upstairs. Eventually, Hide shuddered in despair, sinking into the nearest chair next to him. Carlton made way to Hide, placing his hand on his friend's shoulder and squeezing it lightly. 

"Poor Seiodu..."

"If the CCG gets him...they'll torture him, tear him apart and make him into a weapon." Hide shuddered. "He might as well...kill himself, if they get him."

"Like I said, I'll keep you safe. Both of you." There was a promise in his words. A promise that brought Hide enough hope to calm him just for a split second. Yet, the pain and the anxiety--it was all too much. "Would you like to watch television or something? Perhaps we could get your mind off of what's going on." 

Robotically, Hide nodded and followed his short friend to the sofa. Usually, he and Carlton would happily chatter while watching their favorite television shows; now things were different. There was a silence that took over them. Even Carlton's closeness wasn't enough to calm Hide down. That tension and uncomfortable silence lasted for the rest of the night. Eventually Hide and Carlton fell asleep on the couch, yet even in sleep Hide couldn't find solace. 

His fears manifested into nightmares and for the first time in months; he dreamt of Kaneki. 

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

Hide woke to Carlton dressed the next morning. As he usually was in the morning, he sat at the dining room table reading over his mail and the paper. He nearly jumped when Hide tapped his shoulder. 

"You scared me!" Carlton exclaimed. "I thought you were asleep. I hope I didn't wake you."

"No..." Hide gazed at his apparel and realized he was dressed nicely; well, more nice than usual. "Are you going out on a date or something?" He half joked, half hoped that Carlton would say no.

"Yes. But with my sister. She's back in Wales--it's customary we have breakfast together before she goes off to America or Japan for her fashion line. I can pick up some food on the way out." Carlton responded. 

Hide inwardly exhaled. "That sounds nice." He took a seat in one of the chairs next to Carlton; his own eyes blank. For a moment at least, it was easy for him to forget the events that took place a day before yet, that fear and hopelessness still lingered. "How long will you be gone?"

"For a couple of hours perhaps." Carlton replied. "It shouldn't be that long."

A few moments passed and Hide watched quietly as Carlton's eyes drifted over the large letters on the newspaper and then, looked back toward his mail. His phone, sitting near him on the table seemed to light up every so often and Hide figured his sister was calling him. Hide caught a glance of the window outside; the sun was brightly lit, and the sky was a vibrant blue as always. It was a beautiful day. A day that, despite all the horrors Hide feared he would face in the near future, Hide wanted to enjoy. 

"Can I come with you?"

Carlton actually looked shocked. "I mean sure...but with Kaneki around--"

"I know it's dumb Carlton, I really do. But, he can't control my life. If I stay couped up in this house with how I feel now...I'll go crazy. I can't let Kaneki keep me in here, trapped."

Some more silence and eventually, Carlton nodded. "I'll tell my sister to wait for a bit! Go clean yourself up and then we'll go!"

oOoOoOoOoOoOo

Hide didn't take long to get dressed and naturally, Carlton was waiting for him down stairs. 

If Hide was anxious about leaving the house, a reassuring smile from Carlton eased his conscious if even for a bit. After a few moments of mental coaxing he found himself joining his friend's side and eventually, the two made way to the car. 

During the drive, Hide's attention was drawn toward the window.

He had been down this rode numerous times and yet today, seemed like it was his first time. Like he'd just landed in this small town months ago, like a lone traveler. He had to remind himself that he wasn't a stranger. This was his home and despite what was happening--what very well could happen, he couldn't let anyone take that way.

"We're here." Carlton called, near ripping through Hide's train of thought. "It's not that much, but typically where my sister and I always eat whenever she comes back to Wales." It was a small cafe. Perhaps Hide hadn't been paying attention but they'd driven off the main road and ended up...here. There were barely any cars around, and not an actual parking lot in sight. Still, that didn't stop Carlton from hopping out of the car and running to the other side to open Hide's door for him.

As usual, Carlton chattered about as he and Hide entered the small cafe. There weren't a lot of people there at all, and somehow that made Hide feel better.

At the corner of the cafe, sitting at a lone table was the young woman Hide had met some time before. When she saw Carlton and Hide, she waved excitedly. "Hello Hide! It's so nice to see you again!" She exclaimed, just as excited as she was the day she first met Hide. Happily, the two joined Brona at her table, each ordering a cup of coffee before they drifted way into conversation. 

"I'm slightly envious of you." Carlton had began. "Since I've discovered our heritage and how deeply rooted our pasts are in Japan, I've wanted to go now more than ever."

"Ahh Carlton, I only went for fashion business--nothing else." Brona shrugged. "I would've had no idea we were from Japan if Hide didn't help us discover that."

"I'm glad I could help." Hide responded. "Your brother has been so kind to me--it's the least I can do."

A few more minutes of idle chattered passed and suddenly, Brona spoke again after finishing her coffee.

 

"Speaking of Japan...there are a lot of...as the ghouls say, 'Doves' here. Specifically from Tokyo! I told Hide of my former investigator friend; I'd recognize them anywhere. The CCG has branches all over the world but...Wales, England, Ireland and Scotland are really accepting of ghouls--I simply can't see why the CCG is here." She shuddered. "It makes me nervous..."

Hide felt a dry lump in his throat, but to retain the rather subtle mood of the breakfast--he swallowed it. "I understand how you feel. Hopefully they're only here for a few days. Perhaps they're here for the serial killers."

"The ghouls? Yeah I heard about them, but from what I've gathered the murders have stopped...and plus, as many ghoul serial killers we've had loose, we've also had humans." Brona shrugged. "I don't know--their presence here seems somewhat...alarming." 

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

After the three had finished their breakfast, they departed. As Carlton had mentioned before, both he and Hide headed to the store to pick up some groceries. They returned home a few hours afterwards. The house was quiet, the TV hadn't even been touched yet. Hide figured that Seidou hadn't gotten out of bed; he didn't know when or if he would that day. With all he had to take in, and Hide's own personal fears erecting now that he knew just how alarming the CCG presence was here in this small town, he didn't blame Seidou for wanting to stay hidden. 

That day went on as usual. Both Hide and Carlton finishing up their own personal work--though it was difficult for Hide to write anything. He only stared at his blank document, fantasizing over the worst possible outcome for his personal scenerio. Eventually he concluded the day with television downstairs with Carlton and as he expected, the two both fell asleep on the sofa together. 

Despite their meal with Brona--the day still seemed to be the same as any other. Uneventful and more than anything, CCG free. 

Yet, when the next day rolled around...that changed everything. 

OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO

Carlton was out late.

Or, later than usual. 

Whenever he left for daily errands, he'd always give Hide and Seidou a time and an estimate of how long it would take him to complete his tasks. Well, before he left he did give them a time but...three hours had passed and he was still gone. 

Not a phone call, a text or anything. 

Hide knew he was busy. After Carlton's casualness and closeness to him, he was still a busy person, and nobility at that. Hide had long accepted that Carlton had a hectic life outside of his relationship with Hide so of course, Hide told himself that he was probably meeting with some other Dukes or Lords or whatever. Perhaps an event where a phone would be inappropriate and that is why he didn't answer Hide's various calls or texts.

Yet, more time passed and the sun began to set. Hide began to grow worried. He was half tempted to wake up Seidou, though Carlton had advised him against that, despite Seidou's now two day seclusion. 

When the sun had all but completely vanished behind one of the mountains in the distance, Hide near had a panic attack and then...the phone rang. 

"Carlton!" Hide cried. 

"Yes! I'm so sorry--it's just, I met this kind gentlemen a few hours ago and he invited me to dinner! He is so wonderful Hide--he's also Japanese like us, but apparently grew up in America! It's so unique I can't remember the last time I met someone American! Also, I had just gotten out of a meeting before we bumped into each other so my phone was off...I just turned it on. I'm sorry Hide!" 

Hide breathed a sigh of relief, though he could not conceal a twinge of jealousy in his heart. "That's good Carlton!"

"Hide! If you are hungry then please, come eat with us. I told him that I needed to get home to make dinner for some of my family and he said you could come and eat with us! Here, I'm sending you the address! See you soon!" 

As usual, Carlton was as excited as ever. Hide again, breathed a sigh of relief as the text came in from the other line. Thankfully, the restaurant wasn't too far from the estate so Hide could easily walk there. As he made way to Carlton, he attempted to conjure images of what this man might have looked like. With his own personal feelings toward Carlton, it was more than difficult for him not to grow somewhat envious of whoever this man was. Was he tall? Was he just as energetic as Carlton?

Hide supposed he would find out soon because before he knew it, he had entered the restaurant. 

His eyes drifted across the sea of heads and finally, rested upon a blue haired figured--Carlton. Hide took a few steps forward, preparing to join his friend at the table and then...he stopped.

There certainly was a tall man sitting not too far across from him. His hair light brown, his eyes bland and uninterested...perhaps all he needed to complete his iconic look was the white coat and a briefcase by his side and then, only then would he look like the investigator that, for obvious reasons at that moment, he was pretending not to be. 

Sitting across from Carlton was none other than the late Arima's closest friend, and for all intended purposes, Kaneki's "right hand man". 

Hirako Take.

Hide internally screamed. He turned on his heel and ran back to the house. He had to get Seidou, no matter how Seidou was feeling...they had to do something. They had to save Carlton for Hirako at this moment, was certainly no friend. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed! again sorry for the delay; please tell me what you think and don't forget to follow my tg tumblr, cloud-chimes!

**Author's Note:**

> So, I’m really trying to focus on Hide’s internal thoughts and all, which is why after everything, he is doubtful of himself. I just really don't thin Ishida gave him the depth he deserved. I hope you enjoy. Again, my tg blog is called [cloud-chimes](https://cloud-chimes.tumblr.com/)! If you like hide, hidekane and stuff then please follow. I write hcs and will prob be talking about this fic a bit. anyway, until the next update!
> 
> Also please comment and leave kudos. I'd love to know what everyone thinks about my hide epilogue!


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